Saturday, September 26, 2009

Made the trip down to the 'Born Free" chopper showtoday in Orange. And what a great day it was!!! Although it was hotter than hell, there was a strong turn-out, with just shy of 200 bikes. The show was totally free, with food, beer, sodas, and a raffle drawing (free tickets) that went on for hours (lots of good items). Great sponsors, great people and truly great bikes.

Nice to meet some of the guys building and riding these quality bikes. Mike D. (Born Loser), Grant (Choppedout), and Harpoon were gracious hosts, and everyone had a pleasant day. Hats off to all of the guys responsible for putting this show together.....

So I roll into "The Boy's" house on Friday night around 3am. Ken and Wayne are still up, I talk with Wayne for about 30 mins. and then go set up my pull out bed in the back room. Just before going to sleep, I go in to use the restroom and @!x&**!!

When your tired from driving all night, and not expecting to find a passed out, snoring "Boy" on the pisser, it's a real shock.

By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer Mary Foster, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 23, 2:51 pm ETNEW ORLEANS – Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition.Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation — even though nothing specific has been proposed and the president last month signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.Gun sales spiked when it became clear Obama would be elected a year ago and purchases continued to rise in his first few months of office. The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, an increase of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before."That is going to cause an upswing in ammunition sales," said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing about 5,000 members. "Without bullets a gun is just a paper weight."The shortage for sportsmen is different than the scarcity of ammo for some police forces earlier this year, a dearth fueled by an increase in ammo use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan."We are working overtime and still can't keep up with the demand," said Al Russo, spokesman for North Carolina-based Remington Arms Company, which makes bullets for rifles, handguns and shotguns. "We've had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7. It's a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business."Americans usually buy about 7 billion rounds of ammunition a year, according to the National Rifle Association. In the past year, that figure has jumped to about 9 billion rounds, said NRA spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak.Jason Gregory, who manages Gretna Gun Works just outside of New Orleans, has been building his personal supply of ammunition for months. His goal is to have at least 1,000 rounds for each of his 25 weapons."I call it the Obama effect," said Gregory, 37, of Terrytown, La. "It always happens when the Democrats get in office. It happened with Clinton and Obama is even stronger for gun control. Ammunition will be the first step, so I'm stocking up while I can."So far, the new administration nor Congress has not been markedly antigun. Obama has said he respects Second Amendment rights, but favors "common sense" on gun laws. Still, worries about what could happen persist.Demand has been so heavy at some Walmarts, a limit was imposed on the amount of ammo customers can buy. The cutoff varies according to caliber and store location, but sometimes as little as one box — or 50 bullets — is allowed.At Barnwood Arms in Ripon, Calif., sales manager Dallas Jett said some of the shortages have leveled off, but 45-caliber rounds are still hard to find."We've been in business for 32 years and I've been here for 10 and we've never seen anything like it," Jett said. "Coming out of Christmas everything started to dry up and it was that way all through the spring and summer.Nationwide, distributors are scrambling to fill orders from retailers."We used to be able to order 50 or 60 cases and get them in three or four days easy, it was never an issue," said Vic Grechniw of Florida Ammo Traders, a distributor in Tampa, Fla. "Now you are really lucky if you can get one case a month. It just isn't there because the demand is way up."A case contains 500 or 1,000 bullets.At Jefferson Gun Outlet and Range in Metairie just west of New Orleans, owner Mike Mayer is worried individuals are going to start buying by the case."If someone wants to shoot on the weekend you have to worry about having the ammunition for them. And I know some people aren't buying to use it at the range, they're taking it home and hoarding it."With demand, prices have also risen."Used to be gold, but now lead is the most expensive metal," said Donald Richards, 37, who was stocking up at the Jefferson store. "And worth every penny."

Finally got some time to work on the truck this last weekend. This truck had some drivers side front end damage, so we change out the entire front clip for other straighter GM parts. Fenders, inner fenders, splash pans, etc. Found a grill to fill the hole. Added new bumper brackets. All of these parts were gathered up and installed with alot of help from my friends. The gas tank has been boiled out and re-installed. New brakes were hooked up but not quite finished... there is always next week. This Suburban is close to going down the road, and I can't wait to be driving it.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

My buddy Ken saw this little Triumph on Craigslist, made a call, left a message, and didn't hear a thing for several days. When he did get a call back, an older lady told him that the Tiger Cub had been her fathers and that he had passed away many years ago. This bike was his pride and joy since he bought it in 1958. She than told him that many people called her on the add. She didn't know how to handle the large number of calls, so she thought it would be a good idea, to get everyone who was interested in the bike to her house at the same time to look it over. She than interviewed my friend over the phone in depth, to see if he was qualified. My buddy was bummed and thought for sure the bike was out of his reach. Well last Saturday was the day, Ken almost didn't go, all of the signs pointed to this sucking. Ken went, only Ken showed (I guess the lady scared everyone else away) she liked Ken, and he got the bike. The lady said that both her and her late father were very happy that it went to Ken. You never know???

Paso Robles hosted the "Battle of the Salons" this last Friday night. I was a really big production and a great time. The salon where my wife works competed, and had a need for some body painting. I was asked to do this job, and being the true professional that I am.... I spent the day painting away.

Paso, but not the one that you might think. For years the West Coast Kustoms hosted first one, than two, than back to one car show(s) per year in Paso Robles. During that time, Paso Robles also held a much smaller, cookie cutter style classic car show (35 1957 Chevy's in a line) hosted by the Golden State Classics C.C.. Although this show is very predictable, with the Beach Boys music and the poodle dresses, there were a select group of bitchin cars. Some really nice Kustoms and Hot Rods were rejected at the gate because they sported primer, but the 65 Mustangs were well represented. Here are a few pics that I took along the way.....

"Pride In Tradition"

*Celebrating 25 Years!
Traditional American Hand Lettering & Design. Gold Leaf, and striping.
I have had cars and bikes that I lettered or striped covered in Rodders Journal, Hot Rod, Rod & Culture, Hot Rod Deluxe, Speed & Chrome and various other magazines.
I have been lettering since 1989, I learned from Tom Greene, a longtime sign man from the East Bay Area. He learned from Bill Pendlan & Tommy the Greek. Some combined 100+ years of "Old Time" knowlege, passed my way. With this blog deal, I aim to show some of my jobs, art, friends, and daily passings....